Former Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah is under duress when it comes to finding a new home in the transfer portal.
It appeared as though Darian Mensah would be returning to the Duke Blue Devils for another season after foregoing the NFL Draft, but instead, Mensah revealed his intentions to enter the transfer portal at the very last minute.
Mensah decided to bolt Duke on the final day of the transfer portal window last week, this even though the star quarterback signed a two-year, $8 million NIL contract with the Blue Devils last year.
The prevailing thought is that Mensah will take his talents to South Beach, as the Miami Hurricanes seem to be the favorites to land him.
However, things just became a bit complicated for Mensah in that regard.
Why? Well, first of all, Duke has now decided to sue the 20-year-old under the claim that he breached his NIL deal. The Blue Devils hold exclusive rights to Mensah's name, image and likeness, and while they can't prevent him transferring, they could potentially make it so that he can't make NIL money elsewhere.
Second, Mensah is under the gun when it comes to joining Miami, and Gaby Urrutia of 247 Sports explained why.
Darian Mensah. Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images."If Mensah's plan is in fact to transfer to Miami, he would have to make his intentions known relatively quickly," Urrutia wrote. "The final day to enroll in classes at the University of Miami, per the academic calendar, is Wednesday, though school president Joe Echevarria could grant an exception to football, considering its season ended on Monday night in the national championship."
The Hurricanes and the Ole Miss Rebels are the only two teams that have been concretely linked to Mensah in the transfer portal, although there had also been speculation that the Florida Gators could get involved due to the presence of Mensah's old Tulane coach, Jon Sumrall.
That being said, all indications are that Miami is the clear frontrunner, but Mensah obviously has some hurdles to clear before he can actually officially become a member of the Hurricanes.
Mensah threw for 3,973 yards, 34 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 66.8 percent of his passes in 2025, leading Duke to its ACC championship since 1962. He also guided the Blue Devils to a Sun Bowl victory over Arizona State.
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